Inside UEFN Scene Graph | GDC 2024

A look inside the new advanced UEFN features workflows and Verse APIs, which dramatically expand the power users have to construct content in UEFN.

[@le_ch1mp]

As a senior frontend developer I feel like this is just ... Unreal. The scene graph is literally what I've been missing from UEFN and I can't wait to get my hands on it. Thanks so much for making the web fun again. You are EPIC!

[@Michael-gf2dy]

My guess. The future is that you build your game in UE6 and distribute it to all platforms within the Epic Mega Cloud(Or whatever it will be called). Basically the logical advancement of what they currently have with UEFN. The underlying systems with Actors/Components will be replaced by Scene Graph for sure. It's also clear they want to simplify many processes within the editor. Wouldn't be surprised if we get multiple editor modes in UE6. For cinematics, simple games, complex games, motion graphics etc.

[@shamminecraft600]

So excited for this, pretty crazy to see the potential that UEFN has!

[@piequalsthree3]

Soon! Yes please

[@Erros]

Worrying things I noticed: - having to specify the access modifier for each and every function (public, protected, private), let me type less by allowing c++ style access modifiers or just add C# instead. - white space indentation (added the one feature that python devs put up with). I'm not mad, just disappointed. - needing the keyword 'set' with the += operator, how did this get by QA? the equal part of the operator implies setting the value. - multiline for loops, I hope you're able to hover over a function to see the return type, so that it's easier to reason about which lists/collections/vectors/arrays/whatever-you-end-up-naming-the-data-structure are being iterated over. - not specifying the memory model, meaning probably garbage collected and no opportunity to do it manually. Overall it seems like an attempt to give the ease of use as seen with blueprints and the source control opportunity of c++, but feels like it's going to have more gotchas then what I laid out above.

[@user-ps4vq4wh3n]

About third case... You need to always use set keyword to change variable (not constant). The "+=" operation means that you try to change value of variable. The same with '='(if we want to change value of variable in code) and other operators working with variables.

[@Erros]

@@user-ps4vq4wh3n If only the += operator also implied mutability…

[@benveasey7474]

Can we have the prefabs with light color overrides driven by DMX?

[@ryanisanart]

someone from epic needs to confirm blueprints aren't going anywhere considering the future merge of uefn and ue5 as ue6. this is just blueprints. why aren't they just adding blueprints to uefn.

[@cosmicdan808]

I assume you mean logic blueprints, because of course blueprints themselves aren't going anywhere that'd be practically impossible - we still use blueprints actively in UEFN. They can't just add logic BP's to UEFN because UEFN is all hosted in the cloud/MegaVerse, the new Verse language was basically required. It's network (logical side) and even engine agnostic. Ideally, hopefully, we'll be able to make Blueprint functions with Verse one day - but I imagine that would take a lot of work. The server cooking would become much more complicated for a start; they have to host the logic BP's on their servers too - do you even want that? Maybe this all already considered years ago internally.

[@ryanisanart]

​@@cosmicdan808 by "logic blueprints" im assuming you mean blueprints as they exist in ue5. "They can't just add..." let's replace that with 'they have decided not to prioritize'. I have yet to hear a good argument for WHY they have decided not to prioritize adding blueprint programming to UEFN beyond vague notions of security concerns that are never clearly defined. visual scripting is MUCH of the reason for UE's success. it democratized game programming for lots of folks and UEFN would ONLY BENEFIT from the same approach, esp. considering its younger audience. this scenegraph stuff is nice, if you want a different way to architect your game that is more like how you are used to doing it in unity and godot, fine. but in an ideal world all approaches would exist simultaneously, especially when some of those approaches have been life-changing and proven successes to a SIGNIFICANT portion of your existng userbase.

[@etchasketch222]

Are blueprints still going to be supported in Unreal Engine (not UEFN) still or are they getting phased out? (hope not)

[@kettenotter]

Nope they will still be supported. But some of the underlying tech will likely be replaced at some point with the scene graph.

[@yudanaim6849]

Why it's remained me unity ?

[@cosmicdan808]

Probably the same reason why it reminds me of VB6, LibGDX's Scene2D, or countless other platforms from the past 20 or so years.... ....as said in the first few minutes of the video, scene graph is nothing new. You can literally design your own scene graph in UE and probably Unity already. Maybe watch the video again and you'll see how and why it's specific to UEFN/Verse.

[@lexprogaming7120]

That’s all so insane but I need free Verse course for beginners 😂

[@23edsa]

which IDE is used for Verse? Is it something built in into UE?

[@mupmuptv]

They ship vscode installer in uefn, include verse lsp, syntax highlight

[@PabloEmmanuelDeLeo]

I like this is the same that Unity and USD.

[@najmmshora8239]

Unreal set to doing Unity better than Unity.

[@TheFallenKages]

Wait verse is coming to ue5 ?😮

[@cosmicdan808]

Pretty sure it's been known about for some time, I've at least assumed that Verse will likely be a first party language in UE6, once the MegaVerse (Metaverse + Epic Megagames) is "final". They'll probably start adding curated and top UEFN games into Epic Launcher itself at that point 😮

[@not_amanullah]

😊

[@nodelayfordays8083]

Is UEFN just becoming Unity?

[@snake135]

Pardon ?

[@nodelayfordays8083]

​​​@@snake135this is how Unity editor works essentially.. just with C# and instead of calling it an Entity it's a game object, everything else is exactly the same just more restrictions in UEFN for security concerns

[@JayzBOT]

I mean... It's a game engine so no surprise it's similar to other game engines ​@@nodelayfordays8083

[@drinkwwwaterrr]

Pretty much

[@cosmicdan808]

UEFN is in a completely different league to Unity and UE. Unity and UE are for making traditional "boxed" games that you release on a store. UEFN games are 100% hosted in the cloud with very little technical code, zero distribution costs, free multiplayer backend, and ongoing Metaverse/MegaVerse integrations and such (cross-game communication). You can't compare UEFN to Unity or even UE5. It's a GaaS/Metaverse "engine" with a whole new ground-up programming language.

[@YouTubetail]

Hello 👍🏼

[@ismaillinkin7896]

Can u make drift tuto.? 😢

[@CAHEK71]

My God! What a disgrace!!! The Unreal Engine developers have finally started designing and have almost caught up with Unity. This is something incredible.

[@ModoBro]

All these amazing tools to make games that will never be played by the current player base. If you're using UEFN to make money then forget it if you don't have a few thousand of your own followers to bring to the game - Epic ain't interested in promoting your game to an existing and already engaged player base because there is no money in it for them. I can only imagine one reason why Epic are putting all this effort into UEFN. That is to attract high end studios with large fanbases to FN. But that ain't working out is it? A meagre 40% cut of the revenue and an ecosystem dominated by trashy games isn't exactly attractive is it?

[@Michael-gf2dy]

Who needs Metahumans if you can have Obby on a bike? But anyway. The Fortnite Ecosystem is the prototype of what Epic is doing on a larger scale in the future and with UE6. They also most likely have marketing incentives inside their Cloud Gaming Store, because this is definitely a problem that has to be solved outside social media bubbles.

[@kylepena8908]

Its for talent cultivation IMHO. They want a fresh crop of gen z and alpha talent in 5 to 10 years.

[@AIGameMonster]

Why not just use Microsoft's C# language? Instead, spend a lot of time re-developing the Verse language?

[@MrJacobgood1]

Verse is a much more advanced language than C#, they are not "redeveloping" the same kind of garbage semantics you find in languages like c#. Once you understand what they are doing, you will appreciate it a lot more.

[@MHjort9]

Unity's prefab paradigm is way more intuitive & useable than Unreal's actor & component system. The fact that they went with prefabs when they had the option is a major self-report. UE5 is great, but you guys need to start making QoL updates the #1 priority, and do it yesterday. Look at the development of blender as inspiration.

[@cosmicdan808]

I wasn't sure if you were trolling until I saw the last bit, "Look at the development of blender as inspiration" 😂😂😂 10/10 mate, classic!

[@St4rdog]

If the scene graph works in the same way, and they can allow scene editing while playing, Unity will basically be dead.

[@WANTE771]

can i use unreal engine as a black african person

[@Pixelboyable]

Epic's been real silent since this comment dropped

[@St4rdog]

Unity will die if you implement Scene Graph well, allow scene editing while playing, editing of prefabs in-place, overriden prefabs saved as inherited prefab asset (prefab variant). I always stop using UE5 due to the lack of these features, and also when you hide a folder, it still shows in-game... You have to click a visibility checkbox when selecting the objects. Crazy workflow. I don't know how UE dev's put up with it.

[@JAYANTLAKRA]

;-)

[@serjhcodo8025]

Is this unity's prefab system :D ?

[@sasuzxc]

Ahahahahaha

[@zachansen8293]

I really wish you'd put your fortnight content on another youtube channel

[@highdefinist9697]

Why not instead improve the C++ API, taking advantage of C++ 20 coroutines?

[@cosmicdan808]

The community had this discussion like, a year ago. The TL;DR was - go try making a game in UEFN and Verse, see how easy it is to make a cloud/Metaverse game with this brand new language - you'll get it. If you want to make games in C++ *and* be seamlessly integrated into the Epic MegaVerse (their Metaverse) then MAYBE you will be able to in UE6. But for now, they're literally making their own cloud/GaaS/whatever buzzword platform, it makes sense to not be restricted by traditional programming paradigms - they got some compsci wizards to work on the foundation for a *Metaverse first* language and it was definitely worth it. Just try Verse dude. Why even preach X language, languages are just a tool. It's time to use a Drill instead of a Hammer 😅

[@MHjort9]

I wonder how many work-hours at epic are spent on UEFN, that could be spent on something useful :/

[@ShashaShasha-fw2gd]

UEFN,🙄😓

[@nodesofnature603]

I know it’s free but please just take my money!

[@GET_YOUTUBE_VIEWS_m054]

Have you thought about making a second channel on youtube, I think a lot of people would watch you